False dawn

There is a certain challenge match to be organised.

For the record, there were 7 winners from gate 4 and 28 points scored. From gate 3 only 1 winner and a total of 16 points scored. Respectively the best and worst gates. The real mystery is why? I've gone to look at gates before now after a meeting and there is often no obvious difference. Could such disparages be eliminated or at least reduced by better grading / raking?

I can only comment on what was obviously a hard fought meeting, from the live updates. I wasn't there, okay? I am curious though, from the stats that I managed to glean, just how critical was the coin toss? For me, I would always defer my choice to heat 15 if I was team captain (I can dream) and I won the toss. My logic is that gate advantage varies from week-to-week at most tracks so choosing gates in heat 1 can be a lottery. By heat 15, you know if one pair of gates is significantly better.

Rye have been what the powers-that-be wanted our teams to look like this year. No GP super stars, strength in depth. They built a good side and came within a gnat's wotsit of making the playoffs. Well done Rye House. You can hold your head's up high.

So let me see if I've got this right...... We can't run on Wednesday because we'll clash with the Danes. We can't run on Sundays because all our riders will be in Poland (yeh, right). We can't run on Tuesdays because we'll clash with Sweden (have any of you watched the Swedish meetings on a Tuesday? Not many of those boys ride over here). We can't run on Fridays because of the GP practices (the practices that most riders rubbish in interview and are not compulsory). So what's left? Mondays and Thursdays? Yes. What else? Saturdays. Heavens no. The World will come crashing down around our heads. And none of those GP lads who earn their real living on a Sunday anyway will ride for us. We decided we didn't want them last winter. A very small number of clubs found a way to keep their GP riders despite the rules and the push to reduce costs. Come next March and the new Polish restrictions, the number of GP riders here might be even smaller. So let's stop kidding ourselves. Admit where our leagues are on a global scale and design a structure accordingly. Race nights have to be dictated, to a degree, by stadium availability. Doubling up is a fact of life. Try to avoid clashes by running the two leagues on different nights if you can, but don't get your knickers in a knot. There has to be some give and take on this or we could lose some clubs which has to be the worst of all outcomes. We'll also lose riders if we restrict their earnings. "Scrap doubling up and let them all get jobs to supplement their earnings" I hear you say. Are you kidding? We expect riders who conduct themselves professionally. Have good quality equipment, well turned out. Available to ride and not knackered from working the previous night. So okay, we need to pull our leagues apart, run the two leagues on different nights as far as possible and create a product our shrinking fan base will continue to support. And what a about the rest of the World? If it works for them, they're welcome. Otherwise it's a shame, but I ain't going to compromise my domestic sport to suit you.

As a neutral, I'd love to see a bunch of former Coventry riders make it into the playoffs ahead of Poole. Besides, if you think they would be, "more of a problem" that says to me they deserve it more. But who said life was fair, eh?

Nothing against Poole (well as a Bees fan, I do, but that aside) I hope they don't get the necessary 3 points tonight to be certain of 4th place. It will add extra spice to the remaining fixtures.

It's the "Thou shalt do as I say, or I won't play" attitude that get's people angry. It's not enough to be right, especially if you aspire to true greatness. And I know he is probably proud of his heritage and rightly so. But now might not be the best time for another Aussie to be throwing his weight around.

No. Because Poland won't let them remember?

Funny that no one asks why Jason was behind "This rider that shouldn't have been in the Grand Prix's". I think you missed the sarcasm smiley (btw it's invisible)

I tell you what, we'll run on Wednesday and Friday

History says that when a senior rider says "Do XYZ or I won't race in Britain", the promoters don't respond favourably. Perhaps a diplomatically composed private letter would have been more appropriate. He could always publish it later. I'm pleased for Jason that he is in a position to now pick and choose who he rides with and in which country.

Unless, of course, people are still using yellow and black. And maybe the odd green might turn up but I think the ref might baulk at that. And then there's black and white. What's that all about asks your newby friends? And you thought you'd found a simple bit of the rules eh?

Oo, you are showing your age!

How even it is, seemingly depends on the nationality of the rider you ask.

Well there may be good news on the horizon. I think it was in a rugby context but it appears some clever clogs has come up with a test based on saliva or urine that can determine if the player has suffered concussion. A clear diagnosis is obviously to be welcomed avoiding that "Should he be sidelined for 10 days vs should he ride with a possibly dangerous condition?". This is serious. The next bit isn't. I assume the Aussies will opt for the saliva test since they don't like having the piss taken out of them. I couldn't resist it

Funny you should ask. I asked via Twitter and apparently it changed in Sweden this year. The rule now is that a team who is 8 or more behind (used to be 6) can introduce a tactical substitute. They can continue to do this until they are less than 8 behind. Each rider can only take one TS ride and no TS is allowed in heat 11, the reserves races. People will be saying we're the same person hobnob. I've written almost identical posts more than once. The TR rule is only any good if you get at least a 7-2 and it's a one shot affair. It can take a lot for a team to build a lead and to see it all but disappear in one race is daft. Tactical substitutions are more skillful in my opinion. Assuming each rider can only be used once, a team manager has to use his riders wisely and they still have to score the points fairly. Choice of gates is also a benefit to the losing side. Having started to analyse not only races won from each gate but also the points scored from each gate has revealed some interesting stats as a meeting unfolds. A team manager should be able to exploit this to his advantage when behind. Don't hog tie team managers and riders from making the most of legitimate tactics.

But the forum would crash with that amount of traffic

Neither

Oh. I thought he was riding at reserve for you!

And how long has that fixture been in the calendar? Perhaps Somerset and Poole should have considered the clash of dates before they arranged to meet. Sauce for the goose....

Peterborough still could be rained off. BV attempt to engage Bomber as their guest. Bomber refuses to ride against his own club, quite right too. Bomber banned for 28 days for withholding his services. Oh come on Fd, you're in the realms of fantasy now. But there is a vacancy at the BSPA coming up if you're interested.

I said at the time of the Jack / Torun affair that Peterborough had set a very bad precedent that may come back to bite them (and others). To release a rider from one meeting where he is supposed to ride to go and ride somewhere else is the thin end of the wedge. Much as I would like to see common sense prevail and Chris Harris be allowed to ride at BV tonight, from a Peterborough management and fan point of view I might be saying, "Why should we release him?". And of course the chorus of responses would be, "Well you've done it before". I take it that means you won't want Chris back next year then?

A medic will issue a certificate based on what the rider tells him. Given that X-ray facilities are not available, the medic has no choice but to believe what is being said. I would suggest that comments made at the time with reference to the track and subsequent events i.e. the guest appearance the next day had a lot to do with Buster's decision.

So if Peterborough is rained off.... and Rye can't go back on their announcement to use RR... can Chris Harris guest for BV?